Bourbeau, 43, is a metal sculptor, transforming old tools and scrap metal into astonishing designs.

Moody-Bourbeau first learned of metal sculpting from her brother, Rich Moody and his girlfriend Jessica Denehy, who recently began creating sculptures out of metal.

Moody-Bourbeau admired the art, and last year the three teamed up to create a metal sculpture dinosaur for the Deerfield crafts fair. Afterward, Moody-Bourbeau started selling small pieces at her hair studio.

Moody-Bourbeau is a hair stylist by profession but artist by passion. She works 30 hours a week in the hair salon and reserves two days for metal sculpting.

As a child, Moody-Bourbeau dreamed of being an artist, but she eventually became a hairdresser.

She first learned to weld as a teenager from her father, who owns Moody Machine, a metal working shop. Although Moody-Bourbeau was a natural at welding, she did not pursue it further due to the work’s searing hot temperatures.

“I never thought in a million years, I’d be using (welding) as an artistic genre,” Moody-Bourbeau said.

When she saw her brother’s work, she wanted to give it a try.

“I felt like I needed to nurture that part of me,” Moody-Bourbeau said. “When my brother and his girlfriend started doing it, it was like something that clicked. I never felt this way about any arts I’ve done. When I go to work on a piece, it doesn’t feel like I’m doing it.”

Moody-Bourbeau learned the craft on her own. She can’t explain how she knows how to construct the figures.

Moody-Bourbeau creates the sculptures with scrap metal and old tools from axes to wrenches to saw blades.

Moody-Bourbeau begins with a sketch of the figure and decides what interior structure should be used to support it. Commonly, she uses rebar steel rods or a thicker rod.

Across the street from her hair studio, Moody-Bourbeau forges the metal into shapes at Moody Machine. She starts with a matrix that will hold all the parts and begins filling in the places.

Working with hot flame and burning metal, Moody-Bourbeau said welders need to be careful all the time.

So far, she’s created small dogs and large birds out of pitchforks and angels from silverware.

But Moody-Bourbeau really enjoys the bigger art projects.

“I enjoy the challenge of making it look like the thing you’re trying to make,” Moody-Bourbeau said.

Moody-Bourbeau’s first large piece was a skeleton that stands on her front lawn. Next, she challenged herself to create a horse for a winter project. The project took her six months to complete.

Driving by her home in August, a Montague couple first noticed the large skeleton. They then commissioned her to create a large dragon. Every weekend, the couple brought her a car load of parts to use.

Moody-Bourbeau spent three days a week on the project, which incorporated 500 individual pieces. It was her favorite piece.

As a burgeoning artist, Moody-Bourbeau would like to enter her pieces into art shows. Her next project is likely a large angel.

You can reach Kathleen McKiernan: kmckiernan@recorder.com or 413-772-0261 ext. 268.